


The Nature of Retaliation

by LaBelleetlaloup



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gaius is not helpful, M/M, Season/Series 02, spell gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-28 18:03:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3864502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaBelleetlaloup/pseuds/LaBelleetlaloup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin just wanted to get back at Arthur for his thoughtlessness. Who explicitly told someone that the swords were dull when they were sharp, after all? The prat deserved it. It wasn't supposed to last this long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Nature of Retaliation

Waking up knowing it was going to be one of those days did not help anything. It just started the morning with Arthur in a foul mood and Merlin trying not to favor his bruised left hip. He had fallen out of bed upon realizing he had overslept. Gaius had been in the main room, humming cheerfully, as he informed him that he had been sent for twice already.

However, the bad part of the day really started later: Merlin went to pick up the handful of supposedly blunt swords he was going to polish and dropped them, cradling shredded palms and fingers to his chest and trying not to scream in pain as the tears fell. Unfortunately, even that was not the worst. It was Gaius. Gaius had chided him for stupidity as he wrapped his hands in gauze, not even putting any healing herbs between his cuts and the rough fabric, much less murmuring sympathetically. Merlin had then had to return to his chores and do them all by magic without getting caught, as he could not even wriggle his fingers without swearing in pain and Gaius was in one of his moods where Merlin could do nothing right. It was a long day.

When Arthur ordered him to go fetch bathwater at the end of the day, after having teased him unmercifully about the swords, Merlin saw red. He absolutely could not cart tubs full of water and wash the prince with his hands the way they were. He also had no desire to be subjected to the awkward familiarity in bathing someone he was not related to. He ducked his head and his eyes flashed gold. Arthur blanched and stuttered out a retraction, dismissing Merlin for the evening, as Merlin had known he would. Merlin left with a quiet smirk, knowing Arthur would be uncomfortable for a good, long, while. However, he did not really realize how long. He got a horrid inkling when Gaius chided him that night for trying to get into the herbs to heal his hands and tightened the gauze in retaliation. Merlin somehow managed not to scream and eventually fell asleep, without supper, relishing Arthur’s discomfort.

The next morning, Gaius was out of the room when Merlin woke up, at which Merlin rejoiced. But the physician had rearranged his stores in the night, without warning or labels, and Merlin accidently burned his hands by putting poison on his cuts, thinking it was medicine. Merlin left out an unholy howl of suffering and despair and somehow kept screaming long after he should have run out of air, his eyes glowing gold behind lids tightly closed in pain as his magic rejected the poison. However, the magic did not reverse the new damage. The cuts were now all burnt as well. Merlin took one look at the ravaged skin and skived off work to go out to the forest and collect herbs himself. Arthur’s little issue would not resolve itself until Merlin’s hands were healed, so Merlin needed to fix this, because it was only supposed to be a mild retaliation, not a permanent condition. 

Arthur saw Gaius and embarrassed both of them to no avail, succeeding only in getting Merlin in trouble. Merlin spent the day making herbs into medicine in the forest, using his magic liberally and unabashedly, unaware of the wrath awaiting him upon his return. He returned that evening, his hands clean and medicated, only to have Gaius undo all his work while yelling about his “rash and selfish” decisions. Merlin did not get any meals at all and did not sleep well, his hands wrapped in itchy wool.

Merlin did only the bare minimum in his chores, begging help from others, who all were horrified by the state of his hands and tried to help out. However, it did not help Merlin’s hands or Arthur’s semi-constant state of awkward arousal.

Arthur took to wearing chainmail by the fourth day, as it hid the problem better than trying to stand behind a table or chair all day. He was short and curt, but so was Merlin, so neither took it to heart. Merlin ate without using his hands and Arthur ate standing up. Neither one commented on the other’s behavior. It was a long week, full of pointed silences and blatant omissions. Merlin found real medicine and soft bandages that Saturday evening, though, and stole both to store in Arthur’s room, where Gaius would not look for them.

Arthur snarled at Merlin for medicating himself in Arthur’s chambers. Merlin snapped back that it was hardly his fault Arthur had ordered him to polish sharpened swords by claiming they were blunt. Arthur threw a pillow at him. Merlin dodged and finished wrapping his hands before starting on his chores. At least the anesthetic in the medicine enabled him to pick things up without screaming in pain. Arthur was still awkwardly aroused all day, but the next morning, Merlin discovered that the spell also rendered him awkwardly impotent. That night, Gaius locked Merlin out of their rooms entirely. Merlin trudged down to Morgana’s rooms, looking for Gwen. However, Gwen had already left for the night and Morgana was feeling flirty and feisty, so she insisted on Merlin staying with her. She helped Merlin change the dressings on his hands and undress for bed, before manhandling him into her bed for the night. Morgana let her robe fall to the floor as she blew out the candle and then got into bed with him. Merlin’s eyes widened, but he managed to hold it together and not react to Morgana’s inappropriate proximity. Morgana, however, had different views on her virtue and proceeded to ravish Merlin. Merlin did the best he could under the circumstances, substituting his mouth for his hands and Morgana did not seem to mind. Unfortunately, they then overslept.

Arthur arrived, looking for Merlin, about the same time Gwen arrived with Morgana’s bathwater. Merlin and Morgana were snuggled up, their previous activities obvious. Gwen was staring in shock. Arthur managed to speak.

“Merlin!” he exclaimed, “What are you doing?” Morgana sat straight up and stared at Arthur in horror. Merlin squeaked in terror before starting to babble.

“I… Gaius locked me out of our rooms and I came here looking for Gwen, but she’d already left and Morgana said I could just stay here and I tried to make a cot, but she said there was no reason for me to sleep on an uncomfortable cot. Please don’t kill me! I didn’t do anything! I promise!”

“Hush,” Morgana ordered, standing up and letting the sheets fall away from her naked body. Merlin colored. Arthur blanched. “What happens between my sheets is none of Arthur’s business.” Gwen squeaked at that announcement and dropped the tub of water that she had been still holding. Merlin jumped up to help and their eyes met in horror. Gwen’s eyes flashed to his hip and back up as she blushed and turned around. Merlin cursed under his breath and turned to grab the sheet. Arthur grabbed his arm, eyes on his hip.

“What is that?” Arthur demanded. Merlin looked down. All seemed to be in its proper order, except there was a bruise suckled onto his hipbone. Merlin blanched at the evidence and wrenched his arm from Arthur’s grasp, grabbing the sheets and covering himself.

“I walked into a table,” he lied easily. Morgana smiled at him. Arthur scoffed. Gwen was innocently sopping up the spilled water and made no expressions or noises of disbelief. Morgana shrugged innocently at Arthur, who strode off in disgust. Only then did both Arthur and Merlin realize that he had been completely impotent for the entire conversation. Even Morgana’s nudity had not aroused him. Arthur cursed. Some servant children ran by. The other part of the spell returned and he cursed some more. Merlin made certain to re-wrap his bandages, this time with Gwen’s help before starting the day. His hands looked better already. He was not terribly surprised, as he had woven healing spells into the potion, but he was still greatly relieved. As was Arthur, on whom the spell was lessening in proportion. He could sit for his meals now.

Merlin spent the next few days with Gwen, his hands healing and Arthur’s inconveniences lessening, avoiding Gaius and doing more of his chores by hand and not by magic.

By the time Vivian and her father arrived, both boys were healed and had decided never to speak of the incident again. Unfortunately, Morgana was already drifting towards Morgause and not even Merlin could halt the inevitable.


End file.
